February 10: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has stressed on the need for the government to implement a coordinated programme to increase production, as the domestic production needs to be strengthened in order to improve the economy.    
In her address to the joint sitting of both Houses of the Federal Parliament on Friday, the president said, "The agriculture sector still remains our area of comparative and competitive advantage."

President Bhandari suggested that providing subsidies in agriculture on the basis of the quantity of production would provide an incentive to increase production.    
“For this, it is necessary to have coordinated implementation of programmes on fertilizers, seeds, agricultural extension services, irrigation, capital and land while keeping agricultural output at the forefront,” she said. Furthermore, the value chain can be maintained by strengthening the internal distribution system and assisting the farmers to receive the right price for their produce on time.    
The president also noted that trade deficit can be reduced if agricultural programmes could be implemented in such a way that leads to self-sufficiency in certain food items within a specified timeline and then enabling to export surplus items.    
“The government should focus on creating an investment-friendly environment by providing the basic infrastructure, protecting the investment and building the necessary infrastructure up to the production site to boost production.” -- RSS